Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Barnesville, Georgia 30104
Sunday, June 27, 2004 5:30 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
According to the mechanic of MG Aviation the purpose of the cross-country flight was to take the private pilot's wife to visit her grandmother in a hospital in Florida. The private pilot called his flight instructor to assist him on the cross-country flight. The mechanic stated that the flight instructor came to his residence to pick up his flight bag at 0200 shortly after returning from a concert. The mechanic asked if he needed any assistance in preparing for the flight to Florida, and the flight instructor replied that the private pilot prepared everything for the cross-country flight. That was the last conversation the mechanic had with the flight instructor. According to a witness a helicopter was heard flying over the residential area, and shortly afterward an explosion was heard. Witnesses searched the area, and a helicopter was located in the back of a residential home engulfed in flames. . Examination of the wreckage site revealed the helicopter rested approximately 25 yards behind a residential home. The wreckage path was approximately 35 feet in length on a northerly heading at the base of a tree. The tail boom section was broken, and buckled. The main rotor blades were buckled and separated from the main rotor mass. The tail rotor shaft was separated from the tail boom and lodge in a tree. The tail rotor gearbox was separated and the tail rotor blades were broken. First responders to the accident site reported dense fog conditions at the accident site. There was no record of the pilot receiving a weather briefing before the departure or while en route.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The certified flight instructor's in-flight decision to continue VFR flight into IMC, which resulted in spatial disorientation, and the subsequent in a loss of control. A factor was fog.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/27/2004 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 530 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | Barnesville |
| Event State | GEORGIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 30104 |
| Event Date Year | 2004 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | Yes |
| Event Location Latitude | 330044N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0841255W |
| Event Location Airport | -- |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 4 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 360 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Partial - limited by pilot |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 525 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 180 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ATL |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1026 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 19 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Night |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 15000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 400 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Few |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 8 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 21 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 20 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 220 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 4 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.12 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 18176 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Communication Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jun 27 2004 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 634 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 13 2005 12:54PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\JOHB |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Atlanta |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N441MG |
| NTSB Number | ATL04FA141 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Robinson |
| Aircraft Model | R44 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 0915 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2400 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jan 1 2004 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 69 |
| Airframe Hours | 945 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | MG Aviation |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 21 Airport Road extension |
| Aircraft Owner City | Greenville |
| Aircraft Owner State | SC |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 29607 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | Greenville |
| Operator State | SC |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 29607 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | GSP |
| Departure City | GREER |
| Departure State | SC |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 300 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | AAF |
| Destination City | APALACHICOLA |
| Destination State | FL |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jul 6 2005 2:27PM |
| User who most recently changed record | POWP |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |